Spartacus: From Blood and Sand to House of Ashur
Updated January 16, 2025
Originally published June 21, 2023
Let’s face it, there are some projects that define chapters of our story. Spartacus is one of them – a franchise that pushed the boundaries of visual effects and helped shape our approach to large-scale episodic work.
This article was originally published by Digital Media World and offered an in-depth breakdown of our visual effects work on the Spartacus series. More than a decade on from the original episodes, the franchise continues with its bold storytelling and visual effects.
We jump back in to reflect on the original work and take a look at how the Spartacus legacy has continued to evolve with House of Ashur.
Spartacus visual effects – building the world of ancient Rome
When Spartacus was originally produced, creating the visual effects was a monumental task. The series relied heavily on visual effects to recreate the brutal, stylised world of ancient Rome. From environments and packed arenas through to battle sequences.
Our team at Cause and FX worked extensively on compositing and shot completion, integrating CGI seamlessly with live-action footage. This process required close collaboration with the production’s in-house visual effects team and multiple external vendors, bringing together a wide range of elements into cohesive final shots that matched the show’s distinctive visual language.
Across multiple seasons, Spartacus pushed television visual effects to new levels of complexity, with thousands of VFX shots delivered under tight broadcast schedules. The experience set a benchmark for what large-scale episodic television could achieve at the time. Cause and FX were later recognised with a Bronze AEAF Award, a reflection of both the scale of the work and the strength of the collaboration involved.
Visual effects services delivered on Spartacus
CGI integration
We blended CGI with live-action plates to extend environments, enhance scale, and create immersive ancient worlds that felt grounded and visceral.
Battle scene enhancement
Large-scale battle sequences required dense layering of elements, including digital environments, crowd simulations, weapons, fire, smoke, and debris – all brought together to heighten realism and intensity.
Natural element simulations
Fire, water, smoke, mist, and weather effects played a crucial role in the atmosphere of the series, adding depth and authenticity to each scene.
Character and detail effects
From blood and wound effects to subtle enhancements that supported performance and storytelling, fine detail was critical to maintaining continuity and impact.
From Blood and Sand to House of Ashur – a franchise that continues to evolve
The Spartacus universe has since returned with Spartacus: House of Ashur, reimagining the timeline and introducing a new chapter within the same brutal world. In the original series, we contributed to some of the franchise’s most defining moments, including the epic final sequences surrounding Spartacus’ death. Years later, House of Ashur revisits that timeline reimagined.
While production pipelines, tools, and delivery expectations have evolved significantly since the original series, the creative demands were familiar for our team – heightened drama, complex action choreography, dense visual layering, and a strong reliance on visual effects to deliver scale and spectacle.
Long-running television VFX and the value of experience
For our team at Cause and FX, this continuity highlights the importance of experienced visual effects partners who understand long-running franchises, fast-paced schedules, and the realities of multi-vendor collaboration.
The Spartacus series also marked an important milestone for our team. It was among the first projects delivered under our newly formed studio, setting the foundation for how we would approach large-scale episodic television. The work involved delivering well over a thousand visual effects shots across multiple seasons.
Many of the lessons learned during the original Spartacus seasons continue to inform how we approach large-scale television work today.
Filmed in New Zealand, the latest chapter also reinforces our country’s reputation as a trusted hub for international television production, supported by a mature and globally connected visual effects industry.
Coupled with New Zealand Screen Production Rebate 5% uplift, Cause and FX is well placed to support productions seeking to access this funding.
For a deeper technical breakdown of our original work on the series, you can read the full article on Digital Media World.
Our original Spartacus visual effects work can be read here.
